


Need to Breathe

by HiddenOne



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Seblaine friendship, Talk of breathplay/choking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 07:14:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenOne/pseuds/HiddenOne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cooper stages an intervention when Blaine finds bruises around Sebastian’s neck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Need to Breathe

“You know, I remember when you used to make fun of Kurt’s scarves,” Blaine says in greeting.

“Hello to you too,” Sebastian drawls in reply. He mockingly continues in an attempt of Blaine’s voice, “How are you doing? Great. I haven’t seen you in weeks! I know, life has just been crazy busy so I can’t find the time to meet up with my best friend –”

“Okay, okay. Shut up,” Blaine interrupts Sebastian’s monologue with a laugh. “Clearly things are bad if you’re talking to yourself.”

“Only because your input is insulting my scarf. Mock me for attempting to expand my fashion sense,” Sebastian rejoins.

“You don’t have fashion sense,” Blaine teases. Before Sebastian can defend himself, Blaine hugs him. “I know, I’ve been MIA these past few days. I’m sorry. But come in; catch me up on life at Dalton.”

Sebastian enters the Anderson home and he and Blaine end up in the kitchen, chatting over sodas. Sebastian is just recounting the student pranks on the English substitute teacher to Blaine’s enjoyment when Cooper finds them.

“Hey Sebastian,” Cooper greets as he grabs a soda from the fridge. “I haven’t seen you around here for awhile.”

“Blaine’s fault. He’s too busy trying to survive public school,” Sebastian teases.

“Hey! It is not that bad. Just because I’m not an elitist like you…” Blaine defends.

“I’m agreeing with Sebastian on this one. I’m all for the love, but I would’ve taken the distance over switching to a public school,” Cooper chips in.

“This is not open for discussion,” Blaine stubbornly declares. “Decision has been made, I’m at McKinley, so kindly keep your unwanted opinions to yourself.”

Cooper and Sebastian share an exasperated look.

“Aren’t you warm in that scarf?” Cooper transitions.

“Nope, I’m fine,” Sebastian says with a shrug. “So how is the public school pit?”

“Haha. You’re hilarious,” Blaine drawls. But then he starts updating Sebastian on the news of McKinley. Cooper, who has already heard these stories, takes his leave with a wave to the boys.

Eventually, Sebastian and Blaine move to the living room. They leave How I Met Your Mother episodes the Andersons had recorded to play in the background as they continue to talk. The room is warm and Sebastian is unused to wearing scarves, so he is fiddling with it during Blaine’s critique of Mr. Schuster’s direction of the Glee Club that week.

“What the hell, Sebastian?!” Blaine shouts out in shock in the middle of his sentence about the crazy costumes they had to make.

Sebastian jumps in surprise. “What?” he asks, wide-eyed.

“Your neck – ” Blaine says before cutting himself off. “I saw…” he crawls over to Sebastian’s side of the couch and reaches for Sebastian’s scarf.

Sebastian bolts up and out of Blaine’s reach. “It’s nothing, Blaine. Seriously. Don’t worry about it,” Sebastian fires out rapidly while rearranging his scarf.

“Sebastian, what’s going on?” Blaine asks suspiciously.

“Nothing. Just…seriously Blaine, just forget it.”

“Sebastian…”

“Everything okay in here?” Cooper questions as he enters the living room, eyebrows furrowed.

Sebastian says “Yes,” at the same time Blaine answers, “No.”

Cooper looks between Blaine’s confused and angry expression to Sebastian’s blank one.

“Okay…someone tell me what happened,” Cooper orders, crossing his arms.

“Blaine is overreacting,” Sebastian scoffs.

“No I’m not,” Blaine defends hotly.

“What are you overreacting to, Blaine?” Cooper asks.

“I’m not overreacting! Sebastian is hiding bruises underneath his scarf!”

“What?” is Cooper’s knee-jerk response, and he immediately stares at Sebastian’s neck.

Sebastian immediately grabs his scarf protectively. He tenses underneath the combined scrutiny. “I told Blaine, they’re nothing.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” Cooper orders. “Take off the scarf, Sebastian.”

“No,” Sebastian refuses, glaring at Cooper.

Cooper walks up to Sebastian until they stand face to face, and even though Sebastian is a few inches taller, he still gulps nervously. Sebastian grips his scarf tighter as Cooper just stares at him.

“Blaine, leave,” Cooper orders, not looking away from Sebastian.

“What? Cooper, I want to know – ” Blaine protests.

“Blaine, please. I’ll take care of this,” Cooper assures.

Sebastian snorts at the phrasing. Blaine does reluctantly leave the room, looking at Sebastian the entire time as if hoping to be called back.

“Getting rid of the witnesses?” Sebastian sneers, still desperately grasping his scarf.

“Show me the bruises, Sebastian,” Cooper says softly.

“I said they’re nothing,” Sebastian snarls.

“Then let me see them,” Cooper implores calmly.

“I’m fine,” Sebastian argues. “I don’t need you freaking out over nothing.”

Cooper sighs. “I promise I won’t freak out. And Blaine’s gone, so – scarf off.”

Sebastian continues to glare but otherwise doesn’t move as Cooper slowly reaches up and starts to undo the scarf. Sebastian clenches the scarf tighter for an instant, but then lets it go. Cooper carefully unwinds the scarf from Sebastian’s neck.

Sebastian watches carefully but Cooper’s face is blank when the bruises are finally revealed.

“That’s from a belt,” Cooper comments softly, his thumb running lightly along the defined edge of the bruise.

Sebastian can’t prevent his gasp at the touch. His heart beats faster and there’s a rush of blood to his cock. Cooer’s gaze locks on his and Sebastian flushes red.

“And judging from your reaction, I would guess it happened during sex,” Cooper murmurs.

Sebastian doesn’t respond, but Cooper doesn’t need confirmation.

“Was it consensual?” Cooper asks quietly.

“Yes,” Sebastian whispers hoarsely. Cooper’s thumb is still caressing his neck, and he can’t look away from Cooper’s bright blue eyes. Memories from last night are playing back vividly in his mind but now he’s replacing the other guy with Cooper. He can picture Cooper’s touch on his body, Cooper’s hands around his throat…

“Shit, Sebastian…what are you playing at?” Cooper questions with a frown, and it breaks Sebastian’s fantasy to pieces. He slaps Cooper’s hand away from him and takes a step back.

“I knew you wouldn’t get it. There’s nothing wrong with me, okay? You’re just too naïve and…and _vanilla_ to understand. So just fuck off, I know what I’m doing and I like it,” Sebastian rants. He turns to leave but Cooper grabs his arm, stopping him.

“That’s not what I said, and that’s not what I meant,” Cooper says firmly.

Sebastian is still rigid and doesn’t face Cooper.

“I get it, Sebastian. I do. You get a high from letting go and forgetting about the rest of the world. In those few seconds, there’s nothing but peaceful blackness. And then you come back down and you feel like you can at least handle the world again.”

Sebastian looks at Cooper with wide-eyes and holding his breath.

“I get it, Sebastian. I’m not judging you. But you do _not_ know what you’re doing and that scares the shit out of me,” Cooper continues.

Sebastian frowns. “There’s nothing wrong with –”

“With the way you’re doing it, yes there is,” Cooper implores. “Fuck, I can’t even..who are you even doing this with? Some teenager who has even less idea of how to do this than you do?”

Sebastian bristles at the insult. “James has done this before, and he isn’t a teenager,” Sebastian sneers.

“ _James_? James Frederickson?” Cooper bites out.

“Know him?” Sebastian asks with an obviously forced smirk.

“I can’t believe you thought sex with _James Frederickson_ was a good idea – and then to let him choke you? What the hell, Sebastian?” Cooper rants. “Fuck…please tell me you didn’t let him tighten a belt around your neck when either of you were drunk. _Especially_ him.”

“We were sober,” Sebastian defends. “I’m not an idiot.”

“Anyone who lets James put a belt around their throat is some kind of idiot,” Cooper says heatedly. “Though the fact that you let him do that while _you_ were sober…”

“What the fuck, Cooper? I thought…you said you understood!”

“I do, Sebastian. But there are so many things wrong with you did it! First and foremost that you trusted your life to James Frederickson who is way too old for you and can’t be trusted to not get lost in his own backyard!”

“He is not too old for me,” Sebastian argues.

“That’s what you’re going to argue? And he’s twenty-seven, Sebastian. He’s too old for you.”

“It’s not too old,” is all Sebastian says vehemently.

Cooper doesn’t reply, but simply looks intensely at Sebastian. Sebastian can barely think or breathe – if there is one argument he wants to win today it’s this one. They’re both aware that Cooper is also twenty-seven (in fact graduated with James), that he’s the reason Sebastian had been sleeping with increasingly older men, and that if Cooper ever gave the signal Sebastian would jump him in a second.

“It’s not,” Sebastian repeats firmly.

“Even so, he can’t be trusted with your life,” Cooper continues the argument.

“…Maybe not,” Sebastian concedes. Cooper hadn’t fought him on age. He hadn’t. So Sebastian could admit that James hadn’t been his best decision.

“And especially not if he’s putting a _belt_ around your neck. Shit – that’s just…stupid and dangerous. You should never have your oxygen cut off, Sebastian. Ever. _Don’t_ ,” Cooper tries to reinforce, shaking Sebastian a little with each word.

“That’s…that’s how I get off, Cooper,” Sebastian tries to argue. Now he’s confused because Cooper had said he’d understood…

“No, it’s not. You get off on the loss of control, even if it is to creeps like James,” Cooper corrected. “And you can get that without risking your life. But if you want someone’s hand at your throat, first they _use_ their hand, not a belt or rope, because then they have some idea of the pressure they’re applying. And then the hand goes here,” Cooper explains, putting his hand at the top of Sebastian’s throat. “And goes up.” Cooper demonstrates by applying pressure.

Sebastian grabs Cooper’s wrist, keeping the hand in place. He fights to keep his eyes open and looking at Cooper so he can remember this image later, but it’s difficult with everything in him screaming to just let go and let Cooper take control.

But then Cooper lets go, yanking his hand back and away from Sebastian’s throat.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have done that,” Cooper rambles, running a hand through his hair and avoiding Sebastian gaze.

“It’s okay. I liked it,” Sebastian says quietly. His blood is still rushing through his veins and the mental images he can now produce aren’t helping.

Cooper’s eyes meet his for one second, enough for Sebastian to see they’ve visibly darkened, before Cooper looks away again. Sebastian sees Cooper’s jaw lock and chest move with his deep breathes, and Sebastian smirks.

When Cooper has a grip on himself, he clears his throat and continues, “So…with that, you can still breathe and I’m a lot less likely to kill you. I’m not going to crush your windpipe or your hydroid bone. And obviously…well, it still works for what you want it to do.”

“Maybe you should try that again, for longer. Just so I can make sure,” Sebastian attempts.

Cooper smiles and laughs. “No. Just…no,” he says while shaking his head.

But Sebastian can’t prevent the saying _‘not yet_ ’ from popping into his head, especially since Cooper hadn’t been surreptitious enough with his looks at Sebastian’s bruise throughout this whole conversation. And it is hard, so very hard for Sebastian to grab his scarf and wind it around his neck again. But it is obvious that Cooper is not going to cave today, and as much as he wants it (and now that he’s had a taste of Cooper’s hold, he desperately wants it) he knows that pressing now would only set him back.

“You should put some arnica on that,” Cooper advises as Sebastian finishes wrapping the scarf.

“No thanks. I like the reminder,” Sebastian replies, and he takes satisfaction from Cooper’s avoidance of eye contact. The more mental images and curiosity Cooper had about Sebastian’s kinks, the better for his goals.

“Okay, I am just dying in my room,” Blaine interrupts them as he storms back into the room. “What’s happening to Sebastian? I’ve gone from terminal disease to physical abuse to crazy allergies!” He rants.

“Oh, look at the time! I need to go,” Sebastian says without looking at the clock. In only a few long strides he’s around the Anderson brothers and headed for the door.

“Asshole!” Cooper shouts after him.

Sebastian smiles as he leaves. His fingers are around his neck, where he can still feel Cooper’s touch, and he hopes for one day.


End file.
